However, if we connect another controller, such as PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and even unofficial generic commandswe can find problems, both with games that do not detect it, and with its controls.
Windows installs a generic X-Input driver when it detects a non-Xbox controller. This driver may work, but it will often give us connection and mapping issues, especially with games that have DRM or don’t have support for using this type of peripheral very well implemented. It is true that there are specific programs to configure and map certain commands, like the one on PS4, on PC. But these programs also often cause problems because they don’t have official support.
Steam, as the largest digital gaming platform that we can find on the web, has a tool that allows us to connect and configure any controller. In addition, 100% of the games that are run from this client will be able to detect the peripheral and the mapping that we configure will be respected. For this reason, it is currently the best option we can find to connect and configure any PC controller in Windows 10, especially if it is not the Xbox one.
Faults with the remote controller
In most cases that we can encounter problems when connecting a game controller, they are usually related to the firmware of its controller that may be outdated or have an error.
That is why a driver update should be more than enough for our remote to work correctly on our Windows computer. That is why in case of any problem we must make sure that we have the latest drivers installed. Before starting to configure it with Steam we must connect controller to computer.
Connectivity is not working
It must be taken into account that on many occasions we are going to connect these hardware devices to play on our PC, wirelessly. Basically this means that we are about to use the connectivity bluetooth instead of the usual USB cable to be able to play on our PC using this hardware. Hence, in the first place our equipment must have support for this type of wireless connectivity in particular. If so, we can also find some problems related to the drivers of this wireless technology.
Therefore, we only have to access the Windows device manager and look for the entry corresponding to the Bluetooth driver. Then, we only have to click with the right mouse button on it to update its drivers. This should fix connectivity issues when trying to use the gamepad, it will even fix issues with other wireless devices we’re trying to pair with.
Appearance of ghost controllers
Another of the common errors that we can find in this popular game store when trying to configure and use a controller is the appearance of ghost components. Actually, we are talking about the fact that ghost controllers or controllers suddenly appear on our equipment, negatively affecting the operation of these devices. games. It is worth mentioning that this is an error that we can find if we regularly use the suspension of our equipment.
The main reason for this is that when the computer goes to sleep, which is quite common, and the controller is on, it keeps the controller and then adds another controller called a phantom, when the PC comes back to life. That is precisely where the problem lies, since Steam can conflict and the royal command suddenly stop working on the platform.
At this point, perhaps the best solution is to deactivate the suspension of Windows on our computer in order to avoid this type of failure in Steam. This is something that, for example, we can disable while we intend to use the gaming platform for a long period of time.
What games are controller compatible?
Steam has done things well and is capable of making any controller work without problems, be it Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and even generic controllers. Of course, it can happen that, when playing, the game shows us buttons that do not correspond to those of our controller (for example, seeing the Xbox buttons when playing with the Play controller). That is the fault of the game itself, so in that sense we cannot do anything.
Also, keep in mind that not all games are controller compatible. To find out if a game is compatible with a controller, what we have to do is look for the game file and, in the categories by which Steam classifies it, look for the following icon that will indicate that this title is designed to be used with a controller.
If a game has full controller support, like in the example above, we’ll make sure that the game is fully functional, and we won’t have any issues or miss any unique keyboard and mouse functionality. But we can also find other games that only have Partial controller compatibility. This does not mean that these games do not work with a controller, but we may have a problem when controlling it. Or, at least, we will need to configure something to be able to play.
How to connect any console controller to the PC
There are two ways to connect console controllers to the computer. The fastest, and generally the one that gives the least problems, is to do it by cable. Simply connect the USB cable at one end to the controller and at the other to the PC for Windows to automatically detect and install it.
But, to be honest, it’s much better to do it over Bluetooth. Not having to be tied down when playing gives us much greater comfort. The configuration of the controls in both modes is the same. The difference is how we have to connect the controller to the PC.
Connect PS4 or PS5 controller to Windows
The first thing we must take into account is that in order to use the play controller on the computer we need the PC to have Bluetooth. If it does, then we can already connect the controller. To put it in “discover” mode, we must press the «Share» button and the «PS» button at the same time for about 4 seconds. The light will begin to blink rapidly, and the remote with the name “Wireless Controller” will appear in the list of Bluetooth devices. This method is totally valid for both the PS4 controller and the PS5 controller.
If we do not have bluetooth, another way to connect it is to do it directly through the USB cable. In this way we will forget about the battery problems and, in addition, the latency will be a little lower. They are all advantages, except for being “tied” to the PC.
Connect Xbox controller to Windows
The Xbox controller can of course also be connected wirelessly. If we have an Xbox One X (version 2) controller, or an Xbox Series S/X controller, then we can do it via Bluetooth. Otherwise, we will need the Microsoft adapter for 2.4 GHz or buy a USB stick with bluetooth, whose price does not exceed 10 euros on Amazon. In this way, in addition, we will also be able to connect our smartphone together with other devices that also make use of this technology.
To connect it in either of the two ways, we have to press and hold the “connect” button on the front of the remote, next to the connector (the front starts to flash) until it is placed in exploration mode. We look for it with the Windows Bluetooth manager and that’s it.
*If we use the adapter, it will suffice to press the button on the receiver and the button on the remote so that both are linked.
If we do not have an adapter or bluetooth on the computer, we must know that it also works for us by connecting the wired controller. What’s more, if we do it this way we can use the Windows “Xbox Accessories” application to configure it and update the firmware, among other things. In addition, it will not be necessary to use batteries, so we are also going to get rid of a problem, especially when we have forgotten to recharge them the night before or, without including a battery, we have taken the precaution of charging them in advance.
Connect Switch Pro Controller to Windows
To connect the Nintendo Switch Pro controller to the computer, what we must do is press and hold the “Share” buttons (the one to take screenshots) and the button next to the connector to activate the Bluetooth connection. The lights at the bottom will come on and start blinking. The remote is already in discovery mode. Now we simply have to look for it from Windows and let the operating system take care of the rest.
If we prefer, we will also be able to connect it by cable to the PC. We will only need a USB type C cable for the controller, and a USB port on the PC.
Connect a Bluetooth or USB controller to the PC
Leaving aside the brands of the main consoles (PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox), thanks to Steam we will also be able to connect and configure any other generic controller, both for consoles and for the PC itself, to the computer. To do this, depending on the type of controller, we will have to follow some steps:
- Connect a USB controller: all we have to do is connect it to a USB port on the computer and that’s it, nothing more. Windows 10 or Windows 11 itself will be in charge of searching for the correct drivers in Windows Update, downloading and installing them. In case of having problems, we will have to download the drivers by hand from the manufacturer’s website, or use the CD-ROM that would come included with it.
- Connect a Bluetooth controller: we simply turn on the controller, and put it in visible mode. From Windows, we enter the Settings, and within Bluetooth and devices, we will add the new remote. The process is the same as connecting an Xbox controller. Windows will take care of finding, downloading, and installing the appropriate driver, and will configure it as a generic controller to be able to play.
Once the controller is already connected to the computer, we can start using it. But, in order to adapt it to our tastes, we will have to configure it. Let’s see how.
Set up a controller in Windows 10 / 11
He PC controller support it was previously included within Steam’s Big Picture settings. However, currently we can access it much more easily directly from the program’s own preferences.
Configure controller from Steam
To do this, what we must do is open Steam, log in, and from the client, go to the Steam> Parameters section.
Within the settings window that will appear, we will select the “Command” section to be able to see all the options related to the driver of our PC.
In this section we are going to see a series of links to the different configuration menus that we can configure:
- General controller settings. The option that interests us, since it is the one that allows us to configure the input and output of the support for controllers, configuration, customization and other options.
- Big Picture Settings. We can configure the behavior of the controller when we open this mode.
- desktop setup. We can control the Windows desktop with the remote as if we were using a mouse…